Anoka’s classic car show all geared up

Classic car owners and fans are gearing up for another season of shows in downtown Anoka.

The Anoka Classic Car show will get its start for the summer Saturday, May 12, running from 5 p.m. to dusk most Saturday nights until late September.

The Anoka Classic Car show is road ready for its season kick-off Saturday, May 12.

“We’re looking forward to people coming down and having a good time,” said organizer Brad Holmbo. “It’s a family night, with lots of classic cars and good food that is affordable.”

The weekly show takes place in downtown Anoka, just behind and alongside the Anoka County Government Center.

It runs from 5 p.m. to dusk on Saturday nights, with the exclusion of the weekends of May 26 (Memorial Day weekend), June 23 (Back to the 50s weekend), July 14 (Anoka Riverfest), Sept. 1 (Labor Day weekend).

The grand finale will take place Sept. 22 at the Anoka County Fairgrounds.

Shows canceled due to weather will be posted on the car show’s website between 2 and 2:30 p.m. at www.anokaclassiccarshow.org.

“We’ve been told we have the largest car show in the north metro,” said Holmbo.

The show has the capacity to handle up to 525 classic cars, which it did twice last summer, he said.

Last year the Anoka Wrestling Group took over the administration of the car show as a fund-raiser from the Anoka Area Chamber of Commerce. It has proven to be a success for the wrestling clubs, as well as the city of Anoka.

For 2011 the car show passed along $3,000 in profits to be distributed to city-supported charities. The remainder of the profits support Anoka’s wrestling programs.

Holmbo said his interest in the car show started as a Saturday date night with his wife Deb. The couple are already active volunteers in the community and started out helping with the car show. When they heard the Anoka Area Chamber of Commerce was looking for another group to take over the show, Holmbo thought the wrestling clubs would be a good fit.

“It has been good to get the kids involved, get them out into the community and introduce them around,” said Holmbo of Anoka’s wrestlers. “I’m excited for the kids to give back to Anoka.”

Attendance for the show is free for everyone. To put a classic car on display costs $3, unless you are a resident of the city of Anoka. Then there is no charge.

This year the show has been expanded to include classic cars 1980 and older. In past years, the upper limit has been 1978.

Holmbo said the construction on Anoka’s East Main Street will not hamper the Saturday night show.

Every week there will be tips on the car show’s website on the best way to access the show, depending on the location of construction.

This year the show is boasting 12 different food vendors.

“So there’s a little bit of everything, plus all the restaurants and bars that are downtown within walking distance,” Holmbo said.